Objectives: We sought to determine the current trends in groin hernia characteristics and surgical care in our hospital. Materials and Methods: A prospective descriptive study from Wesley Guild Hospital Ilesa Nigeria: A tertiary hospital unit in a semi-urban community. All adults who had groin hernia repair between September 2008 and August 2013 were reviewed for age, gender, occupation, hernia type, repair technique and anaesthesia, complications of surgery and duration of hospital stay were analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics. The main outcome measures were post-operative complications and recurrence. Results: Totally, 270 patients with 296 hernias were treated. Majority were males (256; 94.8%). The modal age group was 51-60 years (20.4%). Hernias were unilateral in most patients (251; 93%) with the majority of them right-sided (162/270; 60%). There were 295 inguinal hernias and one femoral hernia. Indirect inguinal hernia was most common (205 patients; 73.3%); while 79 (27.7%) were direct and 11 (4%) pantaloon hernias. Repairs were for recurrent hernias in 17 cases (3.8%) while 64 patients (23.7%) presented with complications requiring emergency operation. Local anesthesia (LA) was most commonly used (80.7%), and day-case surgery was common (206, 76.3%). Nylon darn (155; 52.4%), mesh hernioplasty (94, 31.8%) and Bassini (43; 14.5%) techniques were commonly used. Morbidity (17, 6.3%) was mainly from the surgical site infection (6, 2.2%). Mortality rate was 0.7%. Follow-up ranged from 3 to 30 months (mean = 9.8 months); no recurrence was recorded. Conclusion: Most repairs are now done using LA as day-case procedures. Mesh hernioplasty is becoming popular.

Context: Immediate recognition of postpartum complications, prompt, and due management are key to reduction in maternal mortality ratio (MMR). Aims and Objectives: To evaluate the pattern and outcomes of postpartum referrals from traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in rural Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study of patients referred after delivery from TBAs to a Mission Hospital in rural Nigeria. Analysis was by Epi Info statistical software. Results: Two hundred and sixty-two patients were so referred. Perineal injury (29.4%) was the most common diagnosis followed by pyrexia (22.5%), postpartum hemorrhage (18.3%), and genital sepsis (10.3%). The MMR was 4961.8/100,000 live births with PPH accounting for the majority (53.8%). Conclusion: Delay in referral and transportation difficulties were major impediments to prompt access of care from the Mission Hospital. TBAs should be encouraged to refer all cases to well-equipped orthodox medical facilities and get paid for each case as if managed by them.

Parasitic conjoined twinning is a rare clinical entity with a reported incidence of only 1/1 million births. The most common site of attachment of the parasite is epigastrium. The parasitic attachment at ischium is among the least common subtypes. Here, we report a case of ischiopagus parasitic twin with a favorable outcome. The host twin had no major anomaly, and the twins did not share any organ. Surgical separation of parasitic twin and primary closure of the defect of autosite was done without challenges. The aim of this communication is to add to the literature another rare case of parasitic twinning and to highlight the fact that ischiopagus parasitic twinning although, rare, has a good prognosis in the absence of associated anomalies.

Diverticular disease of the colon in Calabar, Nigeria: A case report and review of the African literatureGrace B Inah, Gbenga A Kajogbola, Rowland Ndoma-EgbaJanuary-June 2015, 25(1):18-21DOI:10.4103/1116-5898.161220

Diverticular disease of the colon, though common in the western world, was thought to be rare in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies have however shown that it may not be uncommon in Nigeria. This is a case report of a 61-year-old male patient who presented with rectal bleeding in Calabar, South-South Nigeria. Clinical examination revealed mild pallor and blood stained hard stool in the rectum. Barium enema showed multiple diverticular along the whole colon but sparing the rectum. Diagnosis of diverticular disease of the colon was made. Diverticular disease may be more widespread in Nigeria than previously thought and should be considered an important differential diagnosis in rectal bleeding.

Objective: Bicipital groove along with the transverse humeral ligament bridging it offers stability and smooth functioning of the tendon of long head of biceps brachii muscle and prevents its subluxation during multidirectional biomechanical movements of arms. Hence, various anatomical information of the bicipital groove is vital as deformities of the bicipital tendon and its synovial sheath have been associated with a variety of reasons of shoulder pain and disability. Therefore, an attempt is made in this study to determine the length, width, and depth of bicipital groove along with the transverse diameter, anterior-posterior diameter and length of the humerus. MaterialsandMethods: The study was carried out on 60 unpaired dry humeri (right = 33, left = 27). The length, depth and width of the bicipital groove were measured using the vernier caliper. Results: The mean length, width and depth of the bicipital groove in the present study were 7.41, 1.08 and 0.55 cm. The mean length, width and A-P diameter of the humerus in the present study were 30.4, 3.0 and 2.6 cm. In the present study, the mean length of the bicipital groove corresponded to 24.37% of the total length of humerus, the mean width was 36% of the total humeral width, and the mean depth was 21.1% of the total anteroposterior width of the humerus. There was no significant correlation between right and left side as P > 0.05. Conclusion: This study determined the morphometric parameters of the bicipital groove and will be important for anthropologists, orthopedic surgeons, and clinical anatomists.